Halloween Town And Me
by Rainlily216
Summary: You've all heard the story of Jack Skellington and his discovery and near destruction of Christmas, but what if he wasn't alone? Enter Rose Collins, Halloween enthusiast and lover of all things Tim Burton. Will Rose get more then she bargained for when she falls through the holiday doors, or will she be the key to keeping this spooky tale on track? Story 1 of my Tim Burton Series


Chapter 1: This Is Halloween

_**Happy Halloween everyone! Now if the title of this story seems familiar, that's because it is. I posted this story when I first started writing fanfiction, back in 2011, and let's just say my story telling is a lot better then it was 3 years ago. Halloweentown and Me is the first of my new Tim Burton series, with my OC Rose adding her presence to these classic stories. Please tell me what you think and don't hesitate to review! Again Happy Halloween! **_

_**I own nothing of NBC, except for my OC Rose Collins. Enjoy! **_

_Twas a long time ago, longer now then it seems, in a place that perhaps you've seen in your dreams. For the story that you are about to be told, took place in the holiday worlds of old. Now you probably wondered where holidays come from. If you haven't, it's time you begun!_

The October moon was bright, and dead leaves skittered across the street. It was the perfect setting for this Halloween evening, the neighborhood streets teaming with kids trick or treating. Ghosts, vampires, and princesses, like my 6 year old Clara.

My name is Rose. I'm 19 years old, with long black hair and emerald green eyes. The holiday started normally, with my little sister Clara constantly shouting at me to hurry up. Being 19 years old, I didn't trick or treat anymore, so I would take my sister instead and mooch off her always-overflowing bag of candy. Don't get me wrong, I love Halloween, but when you think about it, once the trick or treating phase stops, the only thing a freshman in college can do is go to college parties, and in to me, drugs and alcohol wasn't what I thought of when it came Halloween. My love of this holiday was less party oriented.

Halloween to me was darkness, shrouded in fog. Mystery meeting the macabre. And though candy was a plus, I would much rather hold a séance or explore a forest after dark then go to a college party and make a fool of myself. Hey I never said I was "normal." Though it didn't stop me from smiling when I saw how the naïve side of Halloween made my little sister smile.

We had been out for nearly two hours, and judging by the nearly overflowing bag Clara struggled with, it seemed to me that she had enough to last her until next Halloween, and luckily Clara didn't argue when I told her we were gonna wrap up and go back home. Little kids may be stubborn, but even they can sense the impending danger of a Halloween trick or treat bag exploding from too much candy cargo.

" Mommy, look how much candy I got!" she yelled happily, spinning around in her Cinderella princess dress. I laughed, remembering when I too had been 6 years old and didn't have a care in the world. Instead, I was now a de-sensitized 19 year old. With a test in Chemistry I had to study for.

" Well now that we've temporarily feed our sweet tooths, I need to get going," I said, Clara looking up, her face already going into a pout.

"Do you really have to go?" asked Clara, wrapping her little arms around my leg. I picked her up and gave her a big kiss.

" I'm afraid so kid. I love you," I said, and was about to put her down when she suddenly gasped.

" Rosie! I just membered. Here!" she said in a rush, reaching into the pocket of her dress and thrusting something into my hand. She was so sweet! Clara had given me a necklace, a black lace ribbon with a tiny Jack O Lantern pendent.

" She saw it when we were out shopping the other and insisted we get it for you," my mother laughed, and I just hugged my little sister tighter. She had her annoying moments, like everyone did, but she was more often the not the sweetest sibling I could ask for.

" It will protect you when you go home," she said, her little finger touching the orange pumpkin, " when you go by the woods," she said. I knew she was afraid of the dark, and while I quite liked the woods, daylight or shadow, her concern for me was both sweet and touching.

"Thank you Clara, this is exactly what I needed. Now you be good for mommy, and don't eat too much candy," I said, putting her down, before quickly whispering in her ear, "or at least wait until mom can't see you," I said, smiling as she ran giggling from the room, lugging her heavy candy loot to her room.

"Do be careful Rose, Halloween is the perfect time for…" she began before I hugged her.

"For all the weirdo's and freaks to come out of the wood work I know. I'm always careful. Love you mom," I said, before releasing her and opening the front door.

_**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**_

The warm evening breeze played with my hair, and I pulled up the hood of my dark blue cloak. It was a simple costume, a long black dress and a midnight blue cloak, but it reminded me of the night sky and the shadows cast by the light of a full moon. That and you couldn't wear a floor length black gown on any other night without getting weird looks from the people of "normal" society. I felt in my shoulder bag for my keys, when the moon came out from behind the clouds

The moonlight, it seemed, had gotten brighter and I made out a ring of trees tucked a little ways back in to the woods that I had never seen before, illuminated by the full moon. I ran past the mailbox, down the driveway, and into the forest, intent on looking at those trees. I soon entered the ring, and gasped at what I saw. The moonlight lit up the trees wonderfully, throwing the trucks into sharp relief. On each of the 7 tress, there was a symbol, which I realized represented a specific holiday. Every holiday from Valentines Day to Christmas. I focused on the Jack O lantern, the symbol for Halloween, when it suddenly hit me. These were the holiday doors from the Nightmare Before Christmas. Probably some die hard fan trying to add a little bit of Tim Burton decoration, and no doubt a perfectionist when it came to detail.

Still, I put my hand on the pumpkins nose and turned the handle. The door swung open to reveal…. Nothing. It was just the tree truck, painted black to look like a doorway. It was just some Halloween Decoration, and I fell for it.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit disappointed, but I did laugh, because it had been pretty convincing. I turned to go, knowing I should go back inside before my roommate freaked out, when the wind picked up. It wasn't cold, like a late October wind should be, but it was strong. I turned my head around and saw it was coming from the tree! I tried to break free but the wind was stronger and it dragged me backward, sucking me into the door, which turned out to be real! I tried to scream for help, but the wind stole my voice and carried it away. With one last yank, I was pulled into the tree and sucked down. The last thing I remember hearing was the slam of the door, and then I blacked out.

_**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**_

When I came to, I found myself laying in a graveyard. That in and of itself was enough to make me panic. I leaped up, but immediately realizing how bad a choice that had been, as I then had to steady myself against a tombstone to stop my head from spinning. I opened my eyes and immediately screamed. My reflection in a nearby pond stared back at me with horrified eyes. While I still wore my black dress and blue cloak, my skin had turned a pale bone-white, and my hair, which was already black, now looked like the color of tar.

" Oh, god, please don't let me have died" I murmured, fear creeping into my stomach. To try and distract myself, I surveyed the area. I was in the middle of hundreds of tombstones, and there was even one that was shaped like a dog kennel. That had a grinning skeleton leaning against it! I finally let go of the scream I had been anticipating and jumped behind one of the nearest headstones.

" Wait please! Don't be afraid," said the skeleton in a surprisingly kind voice. I peeked out and took in his approaching figure. He was tall, maybe 7 ft, and wore a black suit, with sleeves that went to his wrists, exposing his bony fingers. It was Jack Skellington, pumpkin king of Halloween Town.

" May I help you?" he asked, extending his hand to me. I hesitated, but he sounded so nice that I grasped it, gasping a little at the smoothness of the bones. "I don't think I think I've seen you in town before. What's your name miss? he asked, his empty eye sockets locking with my green ones.

" Oh, my name is Rose, and I'm… a ghoul," We shook hands, and I little bit of my fear began to go away.

" Could you be so kind as tell me where I am?" I asked, looking past Jack, where I made out a bunch of tall black buildings.

" This is the horrible country of Halloween town. Have you not heard of it?" he asked, looking confused.

" Oh, well I'm not from around here, so I'm kind of lost. Do you think you could show me around?" I asked, laughing as he grinned.

" Of course! If you never have been to Halloween Town, I'll give you the grand tour myself, but first, I'm late for our town's holiday celebration. Would you like to accompany me? he said, before smiling at me. And I have to say, it's amazing to see such a kind smile on a skeleton, even though he didn't posses the muscles to smile. I smiled back, and felt for the necklace me sister had given to me. " Sure, I'd love to. Halloween only comes once a year after all."

_**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**_

**Boys and girls of every age. Wouldn't you like to see something strange? **

**Come with us and you will see This, our town of Halloween! **

The familiar swell of music caused a swell of both excitement and hesitation in my heart. This may have been one of my favorite movies, but now it was a real thing, a real place with real consequences should something go wrong. So I kept to the shadows, through keeping the smile off my face was harder.

**This is Halloween, this is Halloween. Pumpkins scream in the dead of night **

**This is Halloween, everybody make a scene. Trick or treat till the neighbors gonna die of fright. It's our town, everybody scream. In this town of Halloween **

Walking through Halloween town was like walking through a horror movie. The houses were really old fashioned with unnatural green and orange colors in the windows. The streets were crumbling cobblestone, with thorns growing out of the cracks, and though the color intrigued me, I didn't want to know what kind of liquid lay in the town square fountain. As I passed a house, I heard the next strains of the song, and hesitantly peered inside the window. And (though I never met the monster they belonged to) those glowing red eyes under the bed still sent unpleasant shivers down my spine.

**Creature Under the Bed:**** I am the one hiding under your bed. Teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing red!**

**Creature Under the Stairs:**** I am the one hiding under your stairs. Fingers like snakes and spiders in my hair **

**Chorus: This is Halloween, this is Halloween. Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! **

**Vampires:**** In this town we call home. Everyone hail to the pumpkin song **

You can believe I moved faster after that. It was when we got to the town square that I began to get really scared. The townspeople had begun gathering and converging towards the town square. I was terrified that someone might see through my façade. But as I toyed with my hair, a habit I do when I'm nervous, my fingers brushed over my throat and remembered my necklace. Tonight was Halloween, and I wasn't human, just masquerading as a female ghoul. Though to be on the safe side, I ducked behind one of the gray stone walls surrounding the square, to observe rather then be observed myself.

**Mayor:**** In this town, don't we love it now? Everybody's waiting for the next surprise **

**Chorus: Round that corner, man hiding in the trash can Something's waiting now to pounce, and how you'll... **

**Harlequin Demon, Werewolf & Melting Man:**** Scream! This is Halloween! Red 'n' black, slimy green **

**Werewolf:**** Aren't you scared? **

Yes, yes I was, but in a good way. To a certain degree, and I found myself scouting further down the wall.

**Witches:**** Well, that's just fine. Say it once, say it twice. Take a chance and roll the dice. Ride with the moon in the dead of night **

I ducked down out of sight when the huge hanging tree moved closer, watching with a mixture of curiosity and sight disgust as I watched the little skeletons swing back and forth, their little bones clanking against one another with a dry, almost hollow sound.

**Hanging Tree:**** Everybody scream, everybody scream **

**Hanged Skeleton Men:**** In our town of Halloween! **

I closed my eyes for the next one. Clowns had never been my forte, and while this one wasn't dangerous, (god I hope he wasn't dangerous) he had always scared me from day one of this movie.

**Clown:**** I am the clown with the tear-away face. Here in a flash and gone without a trace **

**Invisible ghost:**** I am the "who" when you call, "Who's there?" I am the wind blowing through your hair **

"Nice realism movie," I whispered, a gust of wind blowing through my hair just as the line was delivered. I really hoped it stayed at that only, but with my luck anything was bound to happen.

**Oogie Boogie Shadow:**** I am the shadow on the moon at night Filling your dreams to the brim with fright. **

The shadow over the moon was a little unsettling, but I wanted to keep my eyes peeled for the finale, which was approaching fast. I watched as the citizens of Halloweentown marched into the square, and though I don't know if it was joy, they certainly looked like were having a good time.

**Citizens: ****This is Halloween, this is Halloween Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! **

**Child Corpse Trio:**** Tender lumplings everywhere. Life's no fun without a good scare **

**Parent Corpses:**** That's our job, but we're not mean. In our town of Halloween **

Call me crazy, but the dead family was more comforting, if that's the right word, then some of the other citizens. I think it was because the child corpse reminded me of another creepy boy, Pugsly Addams, and I really wished that the Addam's family was a Tim Burton movies for the longest time, as they both seemed very similar in dark imagery and like of torture. Note to self, stay away from the guillotine

**Mayor:**** In this town, don't we love it now? Everyone's waiting for the next surprise **

The crowd started getting more amped, and I peered over the wall, smiling at the approaching figure. What looked like the a terrifying scarecrow was really Jack, ready to finish the grand finale in style!

**Citizens: ****Skeleton Jack might catch you in the back. And scream like a banshee **

**Make you jump out of your skin. This is Halloween, everyone scream! Won't ya please make way for a very special guy? Our man Jack is King of the Pumpkin patch. Everyone hail to the Pumpkin King now **

I wasn't the only one who gaped when Jack lit himself on fire, and was surprised to feel a bit of the heat from the flames, but it's a cartoon world, and I had basically thrown away my concept of logic when I had first found out where I had ended up. And who doesn't love a good pyro techniques bit? That's when a loud hiss billowed up from the fountain, Jack's flaming scarecrow disguise disappearing under the mysterious green water.

**Everyone:**** This is Halloween, this is Halloween. Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! **

**Child Corpse Trio:**** In this town we call home Everyone hail to the pumpkin song **

**Everyone:**** La la-la la, Halloween! Halloween! [Repeat] **

I found myself clapping with the other citizens when Jack rose out of the pool. Dead or not, he was quite the showman, and it was clear his people loved him for it. It made me let go of what was left over of my initial fear. This is fantastic, an entire town devoted to Halloween, and that even monsters can love something. Loud cheers met my ears, as the music died down and everyone started to celebrate the ending of another Halloween.

"It's over!" cried the clown, bumping chests with the hatch head zombie. Which I had to say, while he still kind of scared me, was an impressive thing to do while on a unicycle.

"Wasn't it terrifying?" growled the werewolf as he talked to the multiple Mr. Hyde monster responding with his comment of what a night. I didn't miss the werewolf's glistening white teeth, seeing the sharpened points even from this distance.

"Great Halloween everybody!" laughed the mayor, who, while I knew had an excersist style bipolar personality, looked genuinely happy.

" I believe it was our most horrible yet! Thank you, everyone!" Jack also looked happy, though I could see his eye sockets roam occasionally, and I smiled, knowing he was looking for me.

"No, thanks to you Jack," protested the mayor, "without your brilliant leadership" he began before Jack shook it off.

"Not at all mayor. Now there was someone I wanted to introduce you to," he began, and I panicked. An uncalled for panic, thank goodness, as Jack was quickly surrounded by his many monstrous admirers.

"Your such a scream Jack," complimented one of the Vampires.

"You're a witch's fondest dream!" swooned the tall witch, her hands clasped in front of her face as she looked up at Jack adoringly.

"You made walls fall Jack!" piped up the tiny little witch, clutching Jack's legs, which was really funny, seeing the huge height difference.

"Walls fall! You made the very mountains crack Jack!" continued the tall witch, the others compliments quickly bleeding together, Jack smiling, though even from here, it looked strained.

I tried to hold back a laugh. While this "dead fan girl" routine was funny in the movie, it was hilarious in real life. Poor Jack, he looked so uncomfortable. Though their compliments continued, I heard a gasp that made me turn around. It was Sally! I loved Sally, from her design to her voice actor of Catherine O'Hara. Aside from Jack she was one of my favorite characters from this movie, But she had blended in so well with the haunted tree that I hadn't seen her. And she was being taken away by the cranky doctor Finklestein.

"Let go!" she cried, the doctor pulling on her arm while attempting to use his wheelchair to drag her away.

"Sally, your not ready for so much excitement," he countered, which I had always found silly, because while she walked and talked, she was technically dead. Excitement shouldn't have been a worry.

"Yes I am!" she replied tugging harder on her arm, the screech of the wheelchairs motors giving an awful whine.

"You're coming with me!" he growled, and I had to hold back a laugh, as I knew what would happen next.

"No I'm not!" she cried, reaching for the large stiches that connected her lower arm to her shoulder, and yanked, making a clean break of it, as they say, and racing towards the cemetery.

"Come back here you foolish…" the doctor started yelling, but Sally's arm responded with a couple knocks against his skull covering. I couldn't help but let out a few muffled giggles. Macabre as it was, the image of a detached limb hitting someone was hilarious to me. I turned my attention back to Jack, who was trying to back away from his undead fan girls.

"Ooh Jack, you make wounds ooze and flesh crawl!" the female sea monster crooned, she and some of the other citizens crowding close to Jack. Jack looked a little nervous, and why wouldn't he be. Those monsters were becoming almost claustrophobic.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you very much!" Jack stammered, and looked like he was about to bolt, when the mayor unknowingly saved him.

"Hold it! We haven't given out prizes yet! Our first award goes to the vampires for most blood drained in a single evening," he began, the group of pupil-less eyed vampires gliding forward to accept their trophy.

That was my cue to leave. I may have looked undead, but no way I was sticking around for any of the citizens to spot me just yet, especially the vampires, lest my necklace fall off and expose me for what I really was, and I did come here just to be a snack. That, and I wanted to beat Jack to the cemetery. Before he started a another favorite song of mine, what I privately thought of as Jack's "Disney Princess I Want Song."

Sally was also there, and while Jack was the main character and surprisingly kind to a complete stranger to me, so far my only friend. If I wanted to ever get back home, (though how to accomplish that was something I hadn't quite figured out yet) I needed all the allies I could. Sally was one of the few people who was kind as well as creepy that I knew I could trust, and having watched the film numerous times, I knew Sally was lonely, though not by her doing, and needed a friend. And, though another aspect of my dark sense of enjoyment, I wanted to see more of the graveyard. Even in a half crazy place like Halloweentown, I only felt my love of this holiday increase.

_**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**_

_**So for the first chapter, not to bad I hope? I know it's another one of your typical "O.C. gets thrown into story," Fanfics but the difference with mine is that it's a series, and though things are never set in stone, my plan is to use at least 8 more of Tim Burton's movies, after Nightmare. **_

_**Corpse Bride**_

_**James and the Giant Peach**_

_**Beetlejuice**_

_**Charlie and the Chocolate Factory**_

_**Alice in Wonderland **_

_**Dark Shadows**_

_**Sweeney Todd**_

_**I'm also going to use Coraline, and yes I know it's not Tim Burton, but the director Henry Selick, was also director of Nightmare Before Christmas, and with the similarities in Dark Themes, I'm including it. So again, please tell me what you think, because feedback is everything to an author, and have a fantastic Halloween! **_


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